


Seeking Solace

by AdAlta



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-26
Updated: 2014-11-07
Packaged: 2018-02-22 18:57:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2518316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdAlta/pseuds/AdAlta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clary is to exhausted to even think anymore, she's been running for so long. When she wakes up she finds herself in an unknown room surrounded by people she's never met before. Can she trust them? Will she ever be safe again?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Desperation

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters in here belong to Cassandra Clare. I just own the plot.

Heavy. If she had enough energy to even think, that’s how she would describe the way her body was feeling right now. Her feet were dragging along the ground leaving a trail of misplaced soil and leaves as she traipsed through the forest. Her face was badly beaten, one eye nearly swollen shut and the other half of her face smattered with cuts and bruises of its own. Her once fiery red hair was now muddied with dirt and sticks, matted and knotted with the recent sweat she worked up from running once again. If she had been able to form a coherent thought she may have even called it a bird’s nest. IF her body had any oxygen leftover to supply her brain, that is. So instead of thinking she just kept walking, lifting one heavy foot after the other. She didn’t know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away.

_“Run, Clary Run!!”_

Her body swayed as the involuntary memory struck her with the force of a wrecking ball and her feet finally gave way from under her. The world went sideways and suddenly her body was flailing and rolling down a steep hill, until finally coming to a stop with a resounding thud. Vaguely she could feel her arm and ankle throbbing, the warm pool of blood forming in the crevice between her lips and nose but most urgently she could feel the wave of darkness that was washing over her, lulling her into unconsciousness.She tried to fight against it, a small voice in her head telling her not to give in, that she was still in danger but the darkness enveloped her completely, swallowing her whole.

_Must stay awake, I have to keep moving._

And then the world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jace hated doing morning patrol. One - It meant waking up early and number Two – Did he actually need another reason? If Hodge didn’t have a seventh sense and a cruel creativity with punishments, he might have just crawled back under the covers but instead he was out on the Institutes grounds freezing his ass off. Great. Grumbling under his breath he made his way to the outskirt of the grounds. The Institute itself was a large building, practically in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest as far as the eye could see. Most of the time it was just Jace, the Lightwoods and Hodge unless someone in the Clave wanted to visit them… who was he kidding THAT never happened. And yet despite the fact that there was never anyone else here, he still had to go on Patrol. Life was a blood sucking vampire sometimes. Though in a way he was thankful for the chance to get of the house and stretch his legs. Ever since Max had fallen ill, the house had the aura of a funeral home hanging over it. After checking with every possible warlock the answer had remained the same. Max wasn't going to make it, the question not being if he would die but when. 

A groan broke through the silence of the forest making him jump and snap out of his train of thoughts.

‘What the…?’

Another groan from around the same place, this time accompanied by a pained whimper.

Jace silently withdrew his seraph blade and slipped into a crouch as he followed the sound to its origin. Silently recalling his Shadowhunter training his movements resembled that of a predator going in for the kill. Finally he made it to the embankment that marked the end of the Institutes ground and prayed that it was a demon or a downworlder, it had been awhile since his last good hunt. 

'Gabriel' he whispers and the blade begins to glow. 

Springing out from his hiding place he immediately gets into a fighting crouch ready to cut down anything in front of him but stops short losing balance and nearly falling. He had expected a demon, a downworlder, maybe even a lost mundane that got a little too adventurous for his own good... but the broken girl in front of him was definitely not one of the situations he had remotely anticipated. Jace took another step forward to examine the body in front of him. This _girl,_ if he had to guess was curled up was hunched over on the ground, her clothes though torn and dirty, were distinctly Shadowhunters. There were cuts and bruises littering her entire body and Jace guessed that if looked any closer that would probably be the least of her injuries. Her face was covered by her petite hands and looked like they were caked with blood. Jace shuddered at the thought that it might be hers but then again it could easily enough be someone elses, best not to underestimate this girl anyway. Since she was a Shadowhunter that most likely meant she was Circle considering the state she was in. Jace sighed, wondering if he'd have to do paperwork after he had dragged her back to the mansion and handed her over to the Clave. If she was circle this treatment was no less than she deserved but despite what he'd been taught for years about the evilness of the Circle Jace couldn't help but pity the broken body in front of him. He almost wanted to help her. ALMOST. 

Against his better instinct he takes another step forward and lowers himself into a crouch. Gently he reaches down to remove her hand from her face, prying her bloodied fingers away one by one. The girl whimperes again, weaker this time and with one look at the state of her face Jace's resolve breaks, lifting her into his arms and carrying her as fast as he can back to the Institute. Hoping he gets there before this little girls heart gives out. 


	2. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace tries to justify his decision to bring the young girl back to the institute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm hoping to post every Sunday. Maybe if I get a few comments and Kudos' more regularly. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge :)

"You did what?!" Hodge almost screams as he paces up and down the library for the umpteenth time. 

"I found this girl in the woods, brought her back to the Institute and now she laying in the Infirmary" Jace said, surrounded by an air of nonchalance as he inspected his fingernails. 

In truth he was completely an utterly panicking at the moment. He had no idea what had possessed him to help that strange girl in the forest. It almost seemed like he had pity for her, which was very unlike Jace. He was many things but merciful was not one of them, that's why he was one of the Clave's best warriors. But he wasn't about to tell Hodge about his confusion so instead he hid it behind his signature grin and cocky persona.

'By the angel Hodge, its almost as if you're going deaf in your old age"

At this statement Hodge collapses in the armchair next to him and buries his head in his hands, letting out a grunt of frustration. He had been yelling at Jace for over an hour now and had received no variation in the boys response. So instead he changed tact. 

"Max is in there with her"

Suddenly Jace's eyes flashed with concern that he instantly hid but Hodge could see an obvious change in his demeanor. Jace was good at hiding his feelings but he did have his tell tale signs that Hodge had only picked up after years of tutoring the boy. The slight tightening in his lip, the narrowing of the eyes. Hodge could see that he had struck a nerve, so he continued to use it to his advantage. 

"Are you willing to put an individual that you YOURSELF said was a Circle member in the same room as Max? Especially considering the fact his condition has been worsening lately." Hodge lifts his head out of his hands and fixes this stare at the amber eyes in front of him. 'We have no idea what she's capable of."

Jace tightens his fists and he breaks eye contact with Hodge, preferring the floor from Hodge's penetrating gray eyes. 

"Do you really want to put Max at risk because of misplaced pity?" Hodge continues.

"Well what would you have me do with her then?"

"Chuck her into the dungeon. We have ten days before the next Clave visit, they can come pick her up when they visit." Hodge rises from his seat and makes his way over to Jace placing his hand on his shoulder. 'Family first"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She woke up to the feeling of cold metal against her wrists and wet stone pressed against her legs and instantly she panicked. 

Trying to calm her breathing she pulls gently on the chain only to flinch as a sharp pain jolts up her arm and she bites her lip in order to hold back a groan.

_Guess that's the one way to find out you have a broken arm._

As she begins to wake up she notices her body is throbbing and mentally starts to diagnose her injuries. 

 1. Broken Left Arm

 2. Twisted Right Ankle, Possibly broken. 

 3. Possible nerve damage above her eye, if the swelling is any indication. 

 4. Large Gash on Back. 

 5. At least one broken Rib maybe two. 

She had to admit that was a pretty impressive list, especially for someone like her. She shifts her body slightly to relieve some of the pressure off her broken arm which was bent at a awkward angle under her body, this time unable to keep the whimper of pain from leaving her body. 

"Well now your awake I guess we can get started"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thanks for reading. I know its a bit slow but bear with me I promise it will get better. Please comment, its my first fanfic and I would like to know what you guys think :)


	3. Forced Speech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace tries to get some information.

"Well now your awake I guess we can get started" 

The voice cut through the din of the dungeon like a knife causing the figure in the corner to jump. It sounded impossibly like honey and almost felt sticky as it crawled its way into the girls head, giving her a drunk feeling. Her body felt heavy and clumsy and it almost felt as if she wasn't even in her own skin anymore, the only thing keeping her grounded was the throbbing pain of her broken bones. 

"What's your name?" said the voice. 

"Clarissa." The noise sounded alien to Clary as it penetrated  the darkness. Maybe it sounded that way because of its disuse for at least a week as she had been constantly on the run or maybe it was the fact the name passed her lips without any will of her own. 

"Clarissa" said the figure in the darkness. "Pretty name for such an..."

The man pauses with malice lacing his tone "...insignificant individual."

Clary forces her eyes open to try to make out his face but all she can see is his silhouette in the darkness, the only source of light in this dank dungeon is a small window where a lone moonbeam is streaming through a small square window which permeates the darkness yet not enough for it to actually make a difference. The shape moves and begins to make its way over to her as it continues talking. 

"So I'm going to put this simply for you _Clarissa_ , I'm going to ask you questions and your going to answer them." Even though its dark she can hear the grin in his voice. The cockiness layering every word that he speaks. "Thanks that nifty little truth rune on your shoulder I won't have to worry about you lying to me."

The man paused for a second, obviously drawing the sentence out for drama and Clary couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of all the Idiots she had to get captured by it had to be this arrogant asshole. Yipee. But she also realizes that the truth rune puts everything she loves in danger, If the man figures out she's working for the Circle there is no doubt in her mind that he will punish her severely. Not only that she knew she would be putting her family at risk if he knew who she was, especially if he knew her father. He would probably kill her on the spot like all Clave members would. And she had no doubt in her mind that he was Clave. 

"Now if you can convince me your a good little shadowhunter, which I highly doubt, we can come to an arrangement. We'll heal your wounds, feed you and let you go like this never happened" The sarcasm that dripped off each word he said told Clary that he doubted that would happen. 'But if your not..."

The man clicked his tongue.

"Well I think you know how that sentence is going to end don't you."

Throughout his speech the man inches closer to the stream of moonlight and Clary watches him through lidded eyes wearily. She's panicking now despite the drowsiness that's enveloping her and in a desperate attempt to take back control she focuses on the throbbing originating in her ribs, her head, her ankle, anything to keep herself alert. 

"So lets get started shall we." Said the man as he stepped into the stream of moonlight causing his hair to adopt an unearthly glow, shining around his head as if it were a halo. He was golden, that was the best way to describe him and in her weakened state Clary couldn't help but notice he was  _hot_ , like smoking angel like  _hot._ His golden hair framed his face perfectly bringing you to the molten gold irises, his body was chiseled and lean and in short he was the picture of perfection. 

Shame perfection was going to end up killing her with his bare hands. Then again there were worse ways to go.  

"So first question, how did you get here?"

"Ran"

The man squatted down so he was face height with her, staring directly into her eyes "And what exactly were you running from?"

Again his voice crawled stickily across her mind. Clary's face went flush as she fought against the power of the rune and only a choked sound managed to come out of her throat.

"Bad People."

Her face blushed bright red with the effort to keep herself quiet and all her muscles had tensed with the effort to regain control of her body. She felt her wounds opening up again as her whole body tried to fight back and she embraced the pain. It kept her grounded, it told her she was alive.

"What people?" he asked with malice. The hatred in his voice not even slightly, Clary knew that he had already suspected she was a Circle member, for all she knew he had already marked her down for death.  

"I was running from..." The sound caught in her throat and she let out a sharp scream of pain, her whole body was on fire. 

Clarissa convulsed on the floor as the pain overwhelmed her for a second and to the surprise of the golden man sat up strait a second after the episode, looking him directly in the eye with a cold stare. 

"I was running from the Circle. The bad, bad people in the Circle." She says. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! This is my first fanfic so please be nice and comment :)


End file.
